Topanga State Park

It’s a super quiet park with very long not too rocky but quite steep hiking trails so if you aren’t into long hikes you may want to come visit but stick the picnic bench areas hangout meditate. But if you like a good hike you’re in for some tough leg work, but so worth the wonderful views of nature untouched, just don’t be afraid to kick up some dust.

Otherwise known as Trail #42 from Charles Fleming’s book «Secret Stairs.» If you’d like further information about the trail, I suggest getting the book.
At the time of this review, a week of rain had hit, so the streams were higher and effects of water erosion were evident. I arrived at the scene around 10:30am on a Saturday morning.
PARKING
There is no parking lot from this entrance. Park along the neighborhood streets (yeah for free parking!), which by the way is very upper class. I felt… what’s the word… poor, as I saw all these luxury cars around. Well, at least I know it’s a nice neighborhood, located around the Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica and Brentwood vicinity. If a car’s to be stolen, it probably wouldn’t be my piece of junk.
THE TRAILS
From this entrance, you can hit other trails along the Topanga State Park, like the Backbone and Will Rogers Trails. I spent about 2.5 hours hiking around this area. It’s a great place to go exploring, as you’ll discover various stairways and abandoned structures plastered with graffiti. That is, if that’s your cup of tea. In fact, I would have sworn that I saw taggers there as I was walking along the trail. There’s also evidence of hobos here, though I did not see any at the time I was there. Sound appealing yet?
It certainly isn’t a place for a romantic stroll, though I will say you might think otherwise when you first start off. Sounds of birds in the trees and the sound of rushing water… But then, much of the area isn’t as well-​maintained as in other local trails (machete anyone?). But there are some hidden gems in the area though. My favorite is the abandoned stables, which was surrounded by a small field of wild grass, and next to flowing water. It was the highlight of my trip.
Even before hitting the stairways, just walking along the fire road had my calves get a good workout. Feel the burn! If you do attempt the secret stairs route, note that the stairs can be rather steep and some do not have safety rails.
OTHER NOTES
* Wear insect repellent. Those little buggers were everywhere. Out of nowhere, a bubblebee smacked me in the side of the face (or at least I think that’s what it was)! If a grown man screams like a little girl in the middle of the forest, and no one hears, is there any sound?
* People were walking their dogs here.
* Saw bicyclists ride along the one-​lane Sullivan Fire Road. Just be careful of cars, as several of them passed through as well.
* The water along the stream looked muddy.
* There aren’t any restrooms or port-​a-​potties from what I saw. Might want to bring some hand sanitizer.
In the end, it’s a neat place for a bit of urban exploration. But even with some nice highlights along the route, there are probably better paths and trails to go to.